Club Brugge 1, Manchester United 1 (Europa League Round of 32)
Manchester United came from behind to draw their Europa League Round of 32 game against Club Brugge to give themselves a slight edge going into the home leg next week.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Reds will be the happier side after a below par performance in stormy conditions in Belgium.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made six changes from the side that beat Chelsea.
David De Gea, Eric Bailly, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Bruno Fernandes, and Daniel James were replaced by Sergio Romero, Victor Lindelof, Diogo Dalot, Andreas Pereira, Juan Mata, and Jesse Lingard.
And Solskjaer’s side return to Old Trafford next week with the tie poised at a goal apiece but with a vital away goal in their possession.
Anthony Martial supplied the finish, scoring his 14th goal of the season, and beating former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet in a one-on-one duel in the 36th minute.
United’s three man defence that did so well at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea looked poor up against Brugge striker Emmanuel Dennis.
Their failure to deal with the Nigerian gave him the confidence to run onto a big Mignolet ball downfield, going between two defenders before lifting the ball over Romero after just 15 minutes.
Martial was up for the challenge, though, and he punished a slack throw-in by the home side by snatching the loose ball and beating Mignolet at his near post after racing clear.
Martial also hit the post with a shot that was pushed away by Mignolet but United’s hosts should have won it with a great chance which was put wide by Odilon Kossounou.
MATCH STATS – Club Brugge 1, Manchester United 1 (Europa League Round of 32)
Club Brugge: Mignolet, Mata, Kossounou, Mechele, Deli, Rits, Balanta (Vormer 46), Vanaken, Bonaventure, De Cuyper (Schrijvers 73), Tau (De Ketekaere 62)
Club Brugge Subs not used: Horvath, Ikereke, Mitrovic, Ricca
Bookings: Mechele, Balanta, Vanaken
Goal: Dennis 15
Man Utd: Romero, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Dalot (Fernandes 81), Pereira (Fred 71), Matic, Williams, Mata, Lingard, Martial (Ighalo 67)
Man Utd Subs not used: De Gea, Bailly, James, Wan-Bissaka
Booking: Pereira
Goal: Martial 36